Article about: Guys, Found some more good bits I forgot I had. First group to an RAD officer, sadly page 1&2 missing from soldbuch but he's in the Wehrpass. Don't see them much. With this group are sme
First group to an RAD officer, sadly page 1&2 missing from soldbuch but he's in the Wehrpass. Don't see them much.
With this group are sme post war movement docs.
Second group has pilots licence with I believe fittness certificates, an orange doc allowing him to have a film camera. He is qualified with JU52, JU86, C445 whatever that is and HE111.
Hi Jock,
The Luftwaffe pilot was probably a transport pilot as all the aircraft he was passed to fly were all at sometime transport aircraft.
Two are of particular interest, the Ju 86 was further developed into an ultra high level photo recconisance aircraft (the Ju86p) which was pressurised and used over North Africa and the Greek islands. Specially prepared Spitfires that were stripped down to the bare bones were used to intercept them, and were successful on a number of occaisions.
The Caudron C445 was quite a rare bird, an all wood cantilever wing monoplane, it was built in low numbers(114) during the 30's in France. After the French capitulation in 1940, it was pressed into Luftwaffe service as a 12 seat transport. The C445 is in plan view.
Regards, Ned.
'I do not think we can hope for any better thing now.
We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker of course, and the end cannot be far.
It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. R. SCOTT.
Last Entry - For God's sake look after our people.'
In memory of Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans. South Pole Expedition, 30th March 1912.
Thank you for that info, I now wonder if the film equipment permit is linked perhaps to photo recce? Maybe clutching at straws, who knows. Thanks again.
Just picked this bit of info off the net, didn't even know about the over flights/bombing of Britain!
In February 1940 Junkers flew the prototype Ju 86P, a new version of the already-retired Junkers Ju 86 bomber with a pressure cabin for a crew of two in an entirely new nose section and special 950hp Jumo 207A Diesel engines fitted with twin superchargers. A later prototype had wings of 25.6m span, compared with the normal 22.55m, and could fly at heights up to 11,997m. After proving that the Ju 86P could operate over Britain without fear of interception at such an altitude, 40 of the former bombers were converted into Ju 86P-1 bombers and Ju 86P-2 photo reconnaissance aircraft. For two years these aircraft dropped 1,000kg bombs and took photos with impunity over Britain, the Soviet Union and North Africa. Then, on 24 August 1942, a specially modified Spitfire climbed to 12,800m and destroyed a Ju 86P. Soon, two others were destroyed in the same way, and the 86P's were withdrawn from service in May 1943. Attempts to maintain viability by the use of more powerful engines and wings of even greater span on the Ju 86R-1 and R-2 achieved little success
Regards, Ned.
'I do not think we can hope for any better thing now.
We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker of course, and the end cannot be far.
It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. R. SCOTT.
Last Entry - For God's sake look after our people.'
In memory of Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans. South Pole Expedition, 30th March 1912.
Apparently, the Germans initially captured 54 C445's, including these brand new airframes( still minus props and finished French markings) at Issy de Molynaux airfield near Paris. This was the airfield used by one of the two Caudron factories. The photo is dated 1st July 1940.
Production of sub-variants of the C445 continued under German occupation, mainly at the Renault factory at Billancourt, until 1943, when the site was practically levelled by RAF Bomber Command in one of the first precision bombing raids ever.(The target was marked at ultra low level with TI's and spot fires from a Mustang fighter.)
So it is fair to say, that the Germans used many more of these aircraft than it initially appears, if you include the sub-variants. Uses included flying Lufthansa routes,pilot, radio, navigation trainer, communication/transport flights and as a specialised ambulance.
Oddly enough, it was also flown in small numbers that had managed to escape the fall of France, by free French forces in the RAF. Here it was nick named the 'French Dakota' due i guess to the striking similarity of the wing shape ( see previous photo).
Regards,Ned.
'I do not think we can hope for any better thing now.
We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker of course, and the end cannot be far.
It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. R. SCOTT.
Last Entry - For God's sake look after our people.'
In memory of Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans. South Pole Expedition, 30th March 1912.
Outstanding, Thanks again. He has moved up the things to do list, it is a quite long list (see photo mostly Wehrpass & Soldbuch). I am hopefuly changing job soon one way or another which will give me a bit more time to do the things that need to be done.
Bookmarks